Game board



April 17, 1928. 1,666,359

H. J. A. STEVES GAME BOARD Filed May 4. 1927 /f 6L W I .4. v I 4: I Q

Patented Apr. 17, 1928.

UNITED STATES HERBERT J'. A. STEVES, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

GAME BOARD.

. application filed May '4, 1927. Serial No. 188,825.

. This invention relates to game boards, and more particularly to the type adapted for the playing of a plurality of different games withthe same board.

It is an object of the invention to prov de a game board which may be used for playing any one of several games, particularly checkers or squares, and which is simple in construction, convenient in operation and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects andfeatures of novelty will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of' a game board constructed in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a cross section taken along the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the markers used in conjunction with the gagie board for playing the game of' squares; an

Figure 4 is a perspective view of one of the checker men or counters usedin playing checkers.

The game board according to the present invention is adapted for playing the wellknown games of checkers and chess and is 30 also equally adapted for playing squares.

The game of squares is generally played with pencil and paper. Before the game can be played, the paper must be prepared by making a series of dots equidistant from each other and in parallel rows. Then each player in turn may draw a line from one dot to the next adjacent in its row, in either of the two directions. As the game progresses, more of the dots are connected until eventually three sides of a. square will be formed. The player who in his turn supplies the fourth line to complete the square. scores a point, and marks his initial within the square as a tally. The object of the game, of course, is to complete the greater number of squares, thus scoring the greater number of points in the game.

\Vhen played with pencil and paper this game necessitates the marking off of a large series of dots before the game can be played. This is a rather tedious process, and with the board provided by the applicant, this preliminary preparation is avoided and the game can be played upon a permanent board which can be used over and over.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the game board according to the present invention comprises a base member 10, which may be of any suitable material provided it is of such thickness as to permit its surface being grooved and at the same time leaving enough thickness therebelow to give the board or base member some rigidity. The upper or playing surface 10 of the board is provided with a series of equidistant parallel grooves 11, which extend entirely across the base member 10. A second series of parallel equidistant grooves 12 extend entirely across the base member 10 at right angles to the grooves 11. The

surface 10 is therefore subdivided into a plurality of small squares which are equal in size. In the embodiment shown in the drawing, there are nine grooves each way, so that the base member 10 is divided into one hundred squares.

As the base member is necessarily somewhat weakened b the grooves in its surface, reinforcing memliers 14 are provided for each edge of the board and are joined together as at 17 at each corner of the board. By this construction a very durable game board is produced. In the embodiment shown, the members 14 are miter-ed together, but other joints are within the purview of the invention.

From an inspection of Figure 1, it will be apparent that the central portion of the board, with the exception of the boundary row of small squares will constitute a checker board as the alternate squares within this area are of contrasting colors. Some players may desire to clearly define the central area, so as to separate the checkerboard from the boundary row of small squares. For this purpose, the markers 15 such as shown in Figure 3 may be inserted in the outer groove, that is, the groove nearest to each reinforcing member 1 1, so as to form a rectangular border for the checker board area. The board as shown in Figure 1 has been so arranged, and the rectangular border is pointed out by the reference character 18.

The markers 15 are merely rectangular strips of any suitable material of which game counters may be constructed. Their length should be substantially equal to the side of one of the small squares in the surface of the game board, and their width should be such as to fit rather snugly in the grooves. Preferably the ends 15 of the markers are mitered as shown in Fig. 3, so as to fit together neatly when inserted in the board, but this refinement is not always required. r

The counters 16 are of the usual construction provided for playing checkers and may be of any desired material or form and are of several different colors in order for two or more to play. As the ordinary checker board is adapted for playing chess when chess men are available in lieu of the checker counters, it will be understood that reference in this application to playing checkers removed from the board and'divided between the players, or the players may be permitted to draw troma common supply. Each player in turn will then insert a marker 15 in a selected groove to form the side of a square. As the game progresses, the three sides of a square will eventually be filled, so that the next player, by inserting a single marker will complete the square. He will then place one of the checker counters 16 within the square which will indicate that thispoint has been scored by the player holding-the'checker counters of that color. The object of the game of course, is to complete the greater number of squares which will score the greater number of points.

While one embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in comparative detail, it is to'be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiment shown, but'ineludes all modifications, alterations or changes which come within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed to be new anddesired, to be se cured by Letters Patent is:

A game board having aseries of equi-distant parallel continuous grooves in its surface, and another series of equidistant parallel continuous grooves at right angles thereto sub-dividing the surface'into squares, and means for forming raisedborder for a central group of said squares to enclose a conventional checker board,toavoid confusion in-playing checkersjon the same board, said means being composed of a series of removable rectangular plugs inserted in the grooves bounding said central checker board portion, said plugs being'ot the length of a side of a square, and of greater height than the depth of the grooves to facilitate removal, whereby said plugs. are adapted for use as markers for playing squares overthe entire surface of the board.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

HERBERT J. A. STEVES. 

